Thursday, October 9, 2014

Choo Choo Ch’Boogie (An Adventure)

Last year I often found George Rodrigue in his studio in the
middle of the night. He worked for
weeks on the painting Choo Choo Ch’Boogie,
yet instead of photographing him at his easel, I stood quietly behind and
watched.

At the time, he struggled with a medication’s side effects that
temporarily altered his appearance.We both believed that the treatment was working and that his health
would improve, and capturing that difficult period with pictures seemed inappropriate.*

Interestingly enough, as I prepared to photograph the
painting after it was finished, George stopped me:

(pictured:Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, 2014, Rodrigue estate stamp edition of 275, 30x40 inches,
a lithograph printed in Paris, France, based on Rodrigue’s original painting, released this
holiday season, one year after he intended; for price and availability, contact Rodrigue Studio or email info@georgerodrigue.com; click photo to enlarge-)

Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
is a perfect example of the classic Rodrigue style:a stylized oak tree dissected by the canvas’s upper edge so
that its lower branches form interesting blue shapes above the bushes. The
subjects –the Oak Tree, the Blue Dog, and even the handmade carvings- connect a lifetime of
painting and interests.

In the mid-1990s we visited the tiny town of Oberammergau,
Germany, where George bought the wooden train and conductor, along with several
other carved pieces, such as the artist figurine he used in Pop Goes the Revel (below), a 1998 painting and
poster for the Red River Revel in Shreveport, Louisiana.

And in 1983, he used wooden figurines from an earlier trip to
Germany to create the painting that would become a Festivals Acadiens poster in
Lafayette, Louisiana.

Read the story behind
this special painting, along with George’s quotes about his fascination with
these figurines, here-

In addition, George held a lifelong obsession with
trains.One year we drove in our
truck to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado to ride again the cog train he
recalled from a childhood vacation.We
rode the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train two years in a row so
that he could experience both the open and closed cars.And it was by train that we traveled
from Munich to Oberammergau to collect the wooden figures he would later use in
his paintings.

George painted Choo
Choo Ch’Boogie for himself, never intending the painting for sale.He hung it on the wall of our home,
alongside He Stopped Loving Her Today,
his tribute to George Jones, also painted last year.

George titled his painting Choo Choo Ch’Boogie based on the popular song.Although first recorded in 1946 by
Louis Jordan, George probably became familiar with “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” in the
late 1950s after he got his first transistor radio, about the same time Bill
Haley and the Comets recorded their version of the song for their album Rock ‘n’ Roll Stage Show (1956).

His favorite recording
in recent years, however, is the one we sang along with as we crossed the country annually
in our truck. We grew fond of
Asleep at the Wheel in the late 1990s when we toured with the band for Neiman Marcus events in Texas and Hawaii. Listen and sing along here.

(pictured: photograph by George Rodrigue, 2013; see more here; click image to enlarge-)

Just as George intended this print’s release last Christmas,
he also intended that I share its history with you at that time.So this post, like the new print, is a
way of following through on that commitment.Although this return to blogging is short-lived, I’m ever-mindful
of George’s legacy, specifically the history behind his style and individual
artworks, and I sincerely hope you’ll continue to explore the blog’s hundreds
of essays. The most popular are listed by category down the right side of this page; and the rest are available through the search feature and dated archives, also located to the right.

I also thank you for purchasing The Other Side of the Painting (2013, UL Press).George and I were unable to tour with
the book as we’d planned; and I’m unable to do so without him.But it is his story, and our story,
full of history, nostalgia, quotes, and more.As fans of his art, I encourage you to explore it if you
haven’t already.100% of the
proceeds benefit the arts-in-education programs of the George Rodrigue
Foundation of the Arts.More
details at this link-

-Don’t miss the
special retrospective exhibitions, including original works and memorabilia
from our private collection and George’s archives, on view through January 2015
at Rodrigue Studio New Orleans, Lafayette, and Carmel; more info here-

-With sincere thanks
to the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the State Library of Louisiana, Lt.
Governor Jay Dardenne, and the Louisiana Book Festival, which dedicates this
year’s festival (Nov. 1, 2014) to George Rodrigue.Details here-

Search This Blog

Join the Rodrigue Family Now on Facebook-

About Me

I was born on a military base and raised in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
Attended Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, majoring in Art History and English, followed by European Art and Architecture in Vienna, Austria, and graduate school at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Worked for the Rodrigue Gallery in New Orleans and later Carmel, CA, beginning in 1991, and married George Rodrigue in 1997.
I've written guest columns for publications including Gambit, Country Roads Magazine, and Louisiana Cultural Vistas. As of 2017 I live between New Orleans, Louisiana and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I work extensively on George Rodrigue exhibitions and publishing projects, and lecture widely on his art.
I remain involved full-time within Rodrigue gallery operations and the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, with an ongoing focus on preserving and enhancing Rodrigue's artistic and philanthropic legacy.
My first solo book, "The Other Side of the Painting" (UL Press), was published October 2013.